09/11/2023

Meaty Stews and Braises

Deep into autumn now, I’m regularly craving rich, meaty stews and braises for dinner. As the evenings get chillier, tasty, tender meat served with the delicious sauce it was cooked in is exactly the type of hearty food I’m after.

In this post I share some of my favourite recipes for hearty, meaty stews and braises.

A version of this post first appeared on Moorlands Eater’s Substack.

Stews, braises & casseroles

Before I get to the recipes, what do I mean by stews and braises?

Both dishes are traditionally cooked low and slow in lidded pots either in the oven or on top of the stove. You can also make them in pressure cookers like the Instant Pot, reducing the time considerably.

Braising generally refers to larger pieces of meat cooked partially covered in liquid such as stock, water, beer etc. Stews, on the other hand, tend to be made with smaller pieces of meat completely immersed in lots of liquid.

Casseroles also fall into the stews and braises category, although it’s not a word I tend to use. And that’s despite using a casserole dish most of the time! Pushed to define casseroles, I’d say they’re always cooked in the oven, are made with smaller pieces of meat like a stew, but with less liquid.

Meaty stews and braises

When I think of hearty stews and braises, it almost always means meat. That’s partly because these techniques are perfect for using cheaper, tougher cuts that come from hard-working parts of an animal. Think beef and pig cheeks, oxtail, and the like. The long cooking both tenderises the meat and allows connective tissue, fat etc. to slowly melt and create a delicious sauce.

But more readily available cuts like diced stewing beef, lamb and pork make great stews and braises. You can also use game like wild rabbit and venison. In the form of meatballs, minced meats are great braised too.

Whichever meat or cut you use, I hope you’ll find something to tempt you among these recipes.

To go to any of the recipes, tap on the recipe heading or image.

PORK BRAISED IN CIDER WITH APPLES

I’ve used pork rib eye steaks, but you could substitute pig cheeks. Either will become beautifully tender cooked in cider, chicken stock, onions, garlic, and sage with apples adding their tangy flavour.

BEER BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS

Here beef cheeks absorb the liquor of dark beer and beef stock flavoured with vegetables, garlic, and thyme. Like the pork recipe above, my recipe includes instructions for cooking in the oven or using an Instant Pot pressure cooker.

SCOTCH BROTH

Also known as barley broth, Scotch Broth is packed with pearl barley, pulses, root vegetables, greens, and lamb. My version fits the bill of hearty while also being economical. A little leftover roast lamb plus the bones giving maximum flavour to the broth will feed six generously.

VENISON BOURGIGNON

My version of a French classic replaces the traditional beef with venison. Beautifully rich and flavoursome, the meat is slow cooked with bacon, red wine, stock, garlic, and herbs. It’s finished with browned mushrooms and whole baby onions.

CASSOULET-STYLE BEAN STEW

This is another personal take on a famous dish – a rich, filling meat and bean stew from southwest France. I cut the cooking time by using tinned instead of dried beans. With sausages, bacon, duck legs, vegetables, garlic, and herbs, it’s packed with flavour.

MOROCCAN LAMB MEATBALLS IN SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

Like cassoulet, tagines take their name from the cooking pot they’re traditionally made in. My next recipe is inspired by the same Moroccan flavours, but cooks in a fraction of the time. Juicy, browned lamb meatballs (or rather mutton in the ones you see here) nestled in a warmly spicy tomato sauce.

FRENCH ONION & OXTAIL SOUP

It’s back to France with a dish you might think of as vegetarian, but I give it a meaty twist with soft shredded oxtail. A cross between onion soup and a beef stew, it’s finished with a toasty, cheesy topping.

SPANISH LAMB STEW

This boldly flavoured stew was inspired by a dish I ate many years ago in central Spain. With chunks of tender lamb and soft peppers in a garlic and paprika scented broth, I add chickpeas to stretch the meat further and take up all those rich flavours.

RABBIT IN CREAMY CIDER SAUCE WITH BACON, GARLIC & TARRAGON

Wild rabbit is sustainable, free-range, and still relatively inexpensive. So it’s such a shame that it’s greatly underused. Brilliant for stewing and braising, here it’s slow cooked in a creamy cider sauce with bacon, garlic, and tarragon.

LAMB WITH ANCHOVY, GARLIC & ROSEMARY

This delicious stew features a flavour combination found in both France and Italy and I think the result is a real winner. Chunks of tender lamb plus a little belly pork, pancetta or bacon are joined by cannellini beans in the robust sauce.